Pitt Books

"~Glad to see someone else (and Kevin Canty, no less) thinks this book is good. I read the first stanza and immediately knew it was for keeps. It's a book of poems about a book of poems, about an author of a book of poems, about the aboutness of an author making a book of poems."~ happen up front, center stage.

I saw some wonderful cagy things going on in Emanuel's first two books. But now comes THEN, SUDDENLY, which deconstructs itself word by word as it goes along, and in a very transparent manner. (The everyperson's answer to Jorie Graham will have to wait.) THEN, TO TOP IT ALL OFF the poems are flat. The life seems to have been revised right out of them. "When the reader's radar tracked me down" Emanuel writes. What happened? The answer is, You thought about it too much and the result is stiff, self-conscious poetry.

An amazing book of poems, or a book of amazing poems, or both. The bongo-madness rhythms of the voice linger in your head after you put the book down. Serious without being solemn, playful without being silly. I read this book first time through in a single sitting, and when I was done I knew that I had started somewhere and ended up somewhere else, though the precise names for either place eluded me. A very interesting, very smart, very pleasurable book.

My only real complaint about this book is that I wish it were longer and had more photos. The style is a combination of the authors' personal diaries they kept while on their month-long voyage down the wild Thelon River in far northern Canada where the open tundra dominates. Their writing was very honest, and I felt intrigued to be reading a firsthand account instead of a recollection that you feel was written and embellished after their trip. At the end of the book, one of the authors describes a portage in great detail and provides a play-by-play of the physical rigors and also the emotional state during this long and arduous portage. This is a wonderful and memorable piece of writing, and I wish that they had given that level of detail to the entire trip. Nonetheless, highly recommended for those who love true adventure stories and who have any interest in a long wilderness canoe trip.

This book succeeds through its unpretentious and honest description of a journey well taken. The concurrent use of diary entries from both of the Pitts gives the narrative a nice balanced feel. The details of how to prepare and do what is required by a trip such as this are very clearly explained without bogging down the story. The canoe seems to represent chiefly a means, rather than an end, because the authors are best at defining why they did this in the first place. Their story provides inspiration particularly to those of us who have not been there before.

I anticipated that this book might be just another canoe guidebook about a northern Canadian river since its size and layout indicated that it wasn't a coffee table photo collection - except for the striking cover photograph. The contents were, therefore, an unexpected and pleasant surprise. Yes - the book does describe a canoe journey - but it seems to me that this is primarily a narrative of personal development. The effective use of their diaries to evoke the experience of the landscape, and the insights of this husband and wife partnership about their experiences and feelings make the book far more than a story about canoeing. The story uses their experience to give the reader some direct insight into the personal development of two apparently ordinary people who undertake what to many of us would be an unthinkable challenge. In our modern, urbanized society, there is little opportunity to experience the spirit of the early North American explorers - the Pitts manage to deliver that sense of discovery (both personal and geographic) in the telling of their journey through their respective diaries. This is not a "canoe book" - it is tale of two people confronting the challenges of life - who just happened to be canoeing at the time. One was left wishing the river had been longer so that we could share their experience for a few more pages.

The archaic wording and archaic style of writing I found distracting. The information is there, but you must wade thru a lot of self glorification and archaic writing nonsense, to find the meat. Fortunately there is an index. I would not recommend this book to the casual reader.

If you want to read about the rise and demise Henry Plummer and his band of cutthroats, this is the best book I can recommend to you. Langford was the executive secretary of the Virginia City MT vigilence committee and he "tells it like it was". This book's dust jacket says in effect the book's victorian prose is worth wading through to hear a stirring first person account of the MT vigilante's activity - and that comment is nonsense. Langford's tale may ramble on occasion and his prose may be stilted on occasion. However, you will probably feel your sphincter tighten as the good guys start kicking dry goods boxes out from under cutthroats who, unlike today's criminals, knew justice was being served with dispatch. It's history, but a moving story told like no one else could.

This account of one of the most fascinating eras and places in Old West history thrills the reader more than fiction could possibly do. I read this book as a kid and it remains one of my all time favorites. (Studying the Old West is my hobby, and I teach high school history.) The characters Mr. Langford presents from his own observations are more colorful than any invented by Zane Gray, for example. I'm surprised that no feature film has be made on Henry Plummer. His duel role as sheriff and bad man has been depicted several times stereotypically in Western movies, but no actual account of his life in the early gold-rush towns of western Montana has yet been done. Dimsdale's "The Vigilantes of Montana" is the most well-known primary source of vigilante action in Montana, but his was written much later after the fact. Mr. Langford's book came fresh from his memory of his own participation in the dealings of vigilante justice to "clean up" the commonplace violence in old Virginia City and Bannock, Montana.

Richard Middleton convincingly argues in this well written book that the influence of Pitt during the war has been hyped. Pitt showed no system for winning the war and his descents on the French coast were political expedients to avoid sending troops to Germany. Pitt was not Prime Minister as the office did not exist. Instead he worked as one of two secretaries of state, who, along with the Treasury, made up the ministry. The book focuses on the politics and administration of the war, and not on the battles and campaigns themselves. Interestingly, the author shows how historians before the early 1900s were sloppy, and how modern historians often rely on their work without doing their own proper investigation.

This is an analysis of the Seven Years War from the point of view of the British Administration - chiefly the Pitt-Newcastle Ministry. It is a hugely rewarding read. As a major result of the war was the destruction of the French colony in Canada, many books have taken this struggle as the prime focus (e.g. Fred Anderson's magnificent `The Crucible of War'), however in Middleton's analysis we see how European centric the struggle actually was. Britain's primary (as in most costly) struggle with France was fought on German territory, King George II was also the Elector of Hanover and pressed vigorously for European action. Pitt, in opposition, sided with the faction was opposed Britain's intervention on the European continent. Pitt's view was that the struggle with France should concentrate on destroying France's trade by occuping French colonies, thereby increasing British trade and colonies. Therefore Pitt backed a strong navy and minimal European involvement. In this he foreshadowed the `Splendid Isolation' policy of the British Empire in the 19th Century.
The book shows Pitt as every bit as calculating as his contemporaries. He is seen to play to George II's faction by backing enormous British funding of armies in Europe while trying to maintain his former position by limiting the number of actual British troops sent (i.e. funding mercenaries). He is seen initially to pander to Spanish demands when he first comes to power, only to use these same demands as a pretext for resignation later when it seems more advantageous for him.
Through all this Middleton holds that Pitt was less a strategist than a forceful opportunist. His basic policy of a strong navy yielded great results against an enemy (France) who was torn between the need for a strong army (to maintain and expand its European influence) and a strong navy (to maintain and expand its colonies and trade). Other policies - European intervention and alliances and so forth, waxed and waned as circumstances dictated.
Middleton gives Pitt's contemporaries their due - they have been overshadowed by his legacy, but they are seen as his equals and perhaps more diplomatically skilful in some cases - in particular the Duke of Newcastle, long derided as vacillating and spiteful, is given a more careful analysis as a major force in the administration. The interaction among the members of the Ministry, and between them and the various royals - the King, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cumberland is well described and shows the complexity and constraints of wielding power in Georgian Britain.
Overall this is a serious and rewarding read for anyone interested in the development of the early British Empire.

This play is not called a comedy because it is funny. Nor are any plays from Golden Age Spanish literature. They are called comedies simply because they are not allowed the name of Tragedies, which is reserved for plays written in Greek language and style. Spanish is a "vulgar" offshoot from Latin, and "tragedies" were not works for the vulgar (common) language. If you are looking for comedy in a Golden Age Spanish play it will be difficult. Most involve moral and religious issues. But you should still read this play because it is pretty [darn] good :)

This is one of those books that any contemporary reader shall not face alone. Even if your first language is Spanish, the archaic nature of some words and phrases, force you to read the relevant line more that three times to get a notion of the idea behind them. Afterwards, you must figure out why the work was considered as a comedy in the XVI Century. The infatuation between Don Alonso and Ines is not a joyful event on the contrary, both character are consumed by anguish and the rejected lover is only thinking about revenge. Only Fabia presents an element which lights up the gloomy nature of the play and that somehow is not predictable. Consider to read this book if you are interested in the evolution of Spanish Literature but do not expect much pleasure of laughter out of it.

This is a great item for the Dirk Pitt fans that are trying to buy all the books. I do think that it is a rather random combination, because they aren't in sequential order, but what the hey?

I was momentarily surprised when I saw this book at my local bookstore because I thought for a split second that I was looking at a brand new Cussler novel...but the wind quickly left my sails as I realized that I had already purchased and read both of these books and enjoyed them. But I LOVE novels that combine more than one book, and I couldn't help myself, and I picked it up right then and there and proceeded to re-read these incredible yarns.

I'll start with 'Cyclops'. A much earlier Dirk Pitt story than 'Flood Tide' and in MY opinion, ranks as one of Cussler's greatest adventures. Taking the reader from the depths of the sea to Communist Cuba, to the very surface of the moon, I can't think of ANY yarn that takes you on such a tremendous journey as this one. Mixing adventure with a small dose of near-future science fiction, Cussler never once lets up on the entertaining action. The Russians attempt to hijack the space shuttle...the President is informed of a private American moon colony, one that has been there for YEARS, and was NOT funded by NASA...and the race to collect the secrets learned from this amazing feat is on. Who will win? As they say, getting there is half the fun, especially when Dirk Pitt is involved. Do yourself a GIGANTIC favor and read 'Cyclops' and you will be forever greatful for the hours of pure escapism entertainment.

'Flood Tide' is a more recent Pitt adventure, and comes on the heels of a tragedy that Dirk experiences in 'Shock Wave'. I recommend reading 'Shock Wave' first just so you'll know WHY Dirk is in the frame of mind he starts out with in 'Flood Tide'. With that out of the way, Dirk, ever the magnet for situations that require his expertise otherwise earth-shaking consequences result, swims right into yet another hornets nest of trouble. This time in the Pacific Northwest when he helps an Asian woman escape from forced slavery, and returns to assist the others who were not as lucky. This unlocks a conspiracy which finds Dirk & Company in the deep South helping avert a disaster which could ignite the deaths of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of American lives. While exciting and well-written, I place 'Flood Tide' near the bottom of the Dirk Pitt adventures I have read (which are all of them at last count). Just keep in mind that Cussler's least entertaining books are more fun than most other writers best material. Either way, do NOT pass up an opportunity to read about Dirk Pitt...easily one of the greatest characters in adventure fiction since the invention of the written language.

As a student at a business college, we were mandated to take this course. Our teacher assigned numerous material for this class with constant reading of this book.

Depending on the level of the reader, it may not be fun for everyone. If you're looking to get into Management, then perhaps this may be an interesting book. For many however, this book is one that will surely numb you. A huge problem with this book is that it points much of the obvious out. To any that have decent to sub-par observation skills, if you are of 18 and older, many of the points mentioned will not be of knowledge or of use to yourself. The previous reviewer was right, there are numerous examples and of stories that attempt to provide interest. However, the concepts, numerous as they are, are often much too basic and lack the ability to garner interest in any shape or form.

At a certain point, you may realize that while certainly you cannot name all the specific terms and definitions that they have for any type of behavior, you already have seen it before and rereading it fails to enforce any new learning.

I just finished a 10 week course with Dr. DuBrin and this book was wonderful. It is written in a very easy-to-understand manner, yet still explains the basics of Organizational Behavior. The book is easy reading, but uses lots of real life examples, so it keeps your interest. Good job Dr. DuBrin!

Cathy Song, The Land of Bliss (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2001)

It has taken me a long time to write this review, relatively; I finished Land of Bliss almost a month ago as I write this. Since then, I've been wrestling with one of the eternal questions: how do you give a lukewarm review to one of your favorite writers without feeling horrible?

And Cathy Song is one of my favorite writers. Her first two books, Picture Bride and Frameless Windows, Squares of Light, were two of the first books that really set me on the path to writing serious poetry. I've bought and sold a lot of books over the years, but I still have those two. I've read them more times than I can count. Thus, when I stumbled across a copy of this one, I snatched it up, opened it, read the first few pages... and absolutely hated them. The shock was almost physical. This was Cathy Song? It didn't sound like Cathy Song, it sounded like bad improvised slam poetry by some guy who's never written a poem in his life and has had too much to drink, but gets up to the microphone anyway. I kept reading, and it kept being bad, and I kept hoping it would get better.

The good news is that it does, eventually. The second half of the book may well be as good as Song's early work. I can't tell you, I was still too traumatized by the first half when I was reading, but rest assured the following excerpt comes from the second half of the book:

Once awakened I longed for the breath
she breathed through the window, my body
rising to the petals borne across
the blue distances of roses.
Impatient with dusting,
I fell through the cracks of the random
inspections of the absentminded ones
who had yet to count me among the missing--
the idle, yes--
a small heap of bones
to one day be sewn
into something useful.
("Blueroses")

That's the Cathy Song I know and love. And the second half of this book is worth the price of admission by itself. Unfortunately, the first half makes it worth avoiding entirely, You make the call. ** ½

Cathy Song is one of my favorite modern poets. Her poem "Sunworshippers"from her last book, School Figures, may be my favorite poem written in the past 10 years. In this book, The Land of Bliss, Song continues to develop as a poet and presents us with another collection of beautiful and moving verse.

The opening poem of the collection, "Pokanini girl," is reminiscent of Gwendolyn Brooks' "We Real Cool" but with a painful humor lacking in Brooks' sparse verse. Much of Song's strength in her verse comes from an uncanny ability to write mature poetry with the voice of a child. She is at once both adult and child. And she is very connected to her family and history (Chinese immigrants living in Hawaii). It gives much of her poetry an amazing power.

I am also struck by the recurrence of the color blue in these poems: poems with titles like "Blue," "Blueroses" and "The Sky-Blue Dress." There are blue roses painted on the box in "The Roses of Guadalajara," blue sleeves in "A City of Sleeves" and the hanging letters on pale blue lines in "Book of Hours." This color of sadness is a key to the tone of melancholy that runs through much of Song's work. And yet the beauty remains as illustrated in the recurrence of flowers and, in particular, roses.

I am constantly reminding people that, yes, the poetry of the past masters is wonderful but there is also a lot of amazing poetry still being written today. We just need to work a little harder to seek it out than the readers of past eras. Well, if you've come upon this review you have found your way to a wonderful modern poet. I would highly recommend this book.

Stanley Green provides a monographic account of the events in the decade following Independence in The Mexican Republic. Green argues that a "republican ethos - this transition from colony to nation-state - [which] lasted some ten years" permeated Mexican society. This new belief infused religion, politics, the military, education, and the economy with a new dynamism. The lines for subsequent nineteenth century political battles were drawn during that decade. Green argues that Lucas Alaman and Lorenzo de Zavala represented these competing political ideologies in the early Republic. Alaman supported Hispanic authoritarian methods and wanted a strong leader to "recapture the legitimacy lost in 1821." Lorenzo de Zavala advocated a more progressive, Westernized federalism and focused on reforming the existing system. Green periodically returns to these different men throughout the book.

The Mexican Republic developed after Iturbide failed in his attempt to establish an indigenous Mexican empire. Green describes the resulting federalism as a "national creed ... to gratify growing localist feeling ..." that resulted after Independence. Within this broad framework, people clustered into two factions. The wealthy and aristocratic, who wanted to protect their property rights, became increasingly conservative after Independence. They formed the basis for the centrists and eventually supported Bustamante. Green calls the federalists more socially and economically diverse. They wanted power dispersed among provincial authorities. The Constitution of 1824 reflected their views. These divergent political divisions strained Mexican republicanism.

By the end of 1824, Green concludes that Mexico became a fully functioning Republic. A new feeling of nationhood spread through society and transformed public relations. Green contends that this "creed of the citizen gave a distinctive coloration to the institutions and practices of the 1820s." He describes the effects of republicanism on racial differences, gender roles, political structures, judicial decisions, religious institutions, international relations, and military organizations. These institutional reforms reflected the struggle between Hispanic and classic liberalism for the support of the common people of Mexico. Green concentrates on economic and political changes in the book.

Mexico experienced a "transition from the colonial structure of mercantilism and corporate groupings to an independent system with emphasis on private property, and the confrontation with free trade and the international economy." This transformation primarily affected artisanry, agriculture, and mining. Most guilds and special privileges were abolished, which weakened the position of labor. Debt peonage and the concentration of land hindered agriculture development. British corporations infused mining concerns with capital, but maintained basic colonial structures. Green concludes that these results led to increasing frustrations with the ideology of free trade and caused Mexicans to gradually retreat from that position.

In politics, people split between the York-rite Masons, who shared an antipathy towards the old Spanish system, and the Escoces Masons, who were loyal to the Spanish. The Yorkinos recruited among the lower and working class, while the Escoces Masons concentrated on the traditional elite. The Yorkinos employed a populist style, using journals, newspapers, and pamphlets, to mobilize its forces. Their power culminated in the expulsion of the Spaniards in 1827. After 1827, divisions between these two groups became increasingly irreconcilable and violent. During the Jalapa Revolution, the Yorkinos lost power.

Centralists seized control and suppressed their opponents, which established an uneasy peace in the country. Bustamante led the conservatives and enacted election laws, which limited the franchise and created a political gentry. Green concludes that "[t]he enduring lesson of 1829 was that liberalism in Mexico was still aborning."

In The Mexican Republic, Stanley Green presents a thorough account of the events in the initial years of the Republic. The 1820s witnessed both the growth and decline of republicanism and institutionalism in Mexico. In the book, Green outlines the influence of republicanism on various Mexican institutions and the political reaction to this ideology.

He largely overlooks the effects of these new ideas on literature and the arts. Although he presents Alaman and de Zavala as a unifying theme, he gives their lives comparatively scant attention. Despite these shortcomings, The Mexican Republic contains a coherent and lucid account of this important decade in Mexican history.

Stanley Green provides a monographic account of the events in the decade following Independence in The Mexican Republic. Green argues that a "republican ethos - this transition from colony to nation-state - [which] lasted some ten years" permeated Mexican society. This new belief infused religion, politics, the military, education, and the economy with a new dynamism. The lines for subsequent nineteenth century political battles were drawn during that decade. Green argues that Lucas Alaman and Lorenzo de Zavala represented these competing political ideologies in the early Republic. Alaman supported Hispanic authoritarian methods and wanted a strong leader to "recapture the legitimacy lost in 1821." Lorenzo de Zavala advocated a more progressive, Westernized federalism and focused on reforming the existing system. Green periodically returns to these different men throughout the book.

The Mexican Republic developed after Iturbide failed in his attempt to establish an indigenous Mexican empire. Green describes the resulting federalism as a "national creed ... to gratify growing localist feeling ..." that resulted after Independence. Within this broad framework, people clustered into two factions. The wealthy and aristocratic, who wanted to protect their property rights, became increasingly conservative after Independence. They formed the basis for the centrists and eventually supported Bustamante. Green calls the federalists more socially and economically diverse. They wanted power dispersed among provincial authorities. The Constitution of 1824 reflected their views. These divergent political divisions strained Mexican republicanism.

By the end of 1824, Green concludes that Mexico became a fully functioning Republic. A new feeling of nationhood spread through society and transformed public relations. Green contends that this "creed of the citizen gave a distinctive coloration to the institutions and practices of the 1820s." He describes the effects of republicanism on racial differences, gender roles, political structures, judicial decisions, religious institutions, international relations, and military organizations. These institutional reforms reflected the struggle between Hispanic and classic liberalism for the support of the common people of Mexico. Green concentrates on economic and political changes in the book.

Mexico experienced a "transition from the colonial structure of mercantilism and corporate groupings to an independent system with emphasis on private property, and the confrontation with free trade and the international economy." This transformation primarily affected artisanry, agriculture, and mining. Most guilds and special privileges were abolished, which weakened the position of labor. Debt peonage and the concentration of land hindered agriculture development. British corporations infused mining concerns with capital, but maintained basic colonial structures. Green concludes that these results led to increasing frustrations with the ideology of free trade and caused Mexicans to gradually retreat from that position.

In politics, people split between the York-rite Masons, who shared an antipathy towards the old Spanish system, and the Escoces Masons, who were loyal to the Spanish. The Yorkinos recruited among the lower and working class, while the Escoces Masons concentrated on the traditional elite. The Yorkinos employed a populist style, using journals, newspapers, and pamphlets, to mobilize its forces. Their power culminated in the expulsion of the Spaniards in 1827. After 1827, divisions between these two groups became increasingly irreconcilable and violent. During the Jalapa Revolution, the Yorkinos lost power.

Centralists seized control and suppressed their opponents, which established an uneasy peace in the country. Bustamante led the conservatives and enacted election laws, which limited the franchise and created a political gentry. Green concludes that "[t]he enduring lesson of 1829 was that liberalism in Mexico was still aborning."

In The Mexican Republic, Stanley Green presents a thorough account of the events in the initial years of the Republic. The 1820s witnessed both the growth and decline of republicanism and institutionalism in Mexico. In the book, Green outlines the influence of republicanism on various Mexican institutions and the political reaction to this ideology.

He largely overlooks the effects of these new ideas on literature and the arts. Although he presents Alaman and de Zavala as a unifying theme, he gives their lives comparatively scant attention. Despite these shortcomings, The Mexican Republic contains a coherent and lucid account of this important decade in Mexican history.

The book contained some good ideas, but for the most part, commonsense. I'm a current manager of 20 employees and already knew most of what was described in the book. I guess if you know nothing about managing people, then it would be a good book for novices.

I published this book because I like it so much.In 2003 Hal Pitt contacted me asking if I would publish it. I had no interest in publishing someone else's work, but I invited him to send me the manuscript. He did, I read it and decided it would provide a great balance to my own books.

It really is a page turner - a management book is a page turner! Hal has a compelling style that creates anticipation and the information is solid. I published Hal's book because I liked it so much. It gets managers off on the right foot with true priorities. I quote Hal a lot when working with managers for example, he says the number one job of managers is to get employees to do the job they are hired to do. So if an employee is not doing his or her job, the manager is not doing theirs. Now, I know that sounds obvious, but it's amazing how many managers lose focus on that. This book is chock full of wisdom that lead to manager success.